Healthy weekly weight-gain menu: 7 days with a shopping list

Who is this menu for, and who is it not for?

It is designed for a healthy adult, slim of build, with little appetite or who feels full quickly. It is an indicative proposal, with no guarantee of a specific result. The underlying principles are in the guide to healthy weight gain.

It is not calculated for pregnancy or breastfeeding, for people under 18, or for people with diabetes treated with insulin or with medicines that can lower blood sugar too much.

Nor is it for people with chronic kidney disease or for anyone who has or has had an eating disorder. If you have a condition with its own diet plan, such as coeliac disease, a diagnosed allergy or heart or liver failure, your plan takes priority.

If you have lost weight without trying, see your doctor before following a menu. Weight loss is part of the GLIM criteria for malnutrition, which require a full assessment and are not applied on a single data point [2].

NICE NG12 recommends urgent investigation for unexplained weight loss of more than 5 % in six months in people aged 60 or over; it is not a threshold for every adult [3].

Sometimes low weight goes together with fear of gaining weight, deliberately skipping meals or compensating with vomiting, laxatives or excessive exercise. In that case, the first step is a specialist eating disorder service [4]. The specialist service coordinates medical, psychological and nutritional care according to the case [4].

The general week includes rice on Monday and Saturday, and the quantified example also includes it. If you keep cooked rice, cool it quickly, refrigerate it ideally within an hour and eat it within 24 hours. Reheat it only once, until it is very hot throughout the dish [5].

Go to the menu: general week · example of 2,500–3,000 kcal

Weekly general menu

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Whole milk or soya drink with oat flakes, sliced banana, chopped walnuts and cinnamon	Rice with homemade courgette, onion and pepper stew in tomato sauce, tuna in spring water and toasted pumpkin seeds · an apple	Creamy pumpkin soup enriched with potato and extra virgin olive oil · two-egg French omelette with wholemeal bread · plain Greek yoghurt
Tuesday	Wholemeal toast with mashed avocado, fresh cheese and tomato slices · coffee with whole milk	Lentils stewed with carrot, potato and bay leaf, dressed with a generous drizzle of raw olive oil · orange	Warm salad of boiled potato, green beans, hard-boiled egg and mackerel with olive oil and paprika · plain yoghurt with walnuts
Wednesday	Plain Greek yoghurt with unsweetened corn flakes, sliced strawberries and flaked almonds	Wholemeal pasta sautéed with diced salmon, courgette and grated parmesan · kiwi	Carrot and potato purée with a poached egg · grilled turkey skewers with wholemeal bread · a pear
Thursday	Wholemeal toast with 100 % peanut spread and banana slices · glass of whole milk or kefir	Chickpea stew with spinach, chopped hard-boiled egg and potato · slice of wholemeal bread · homemade apple compote	Cream of mixed vegetables enriched with grated cheese · baked hake fillet with oven-baked potatoes · plain Greek yoghurt
Friday	Warm oat porridge cooked in whole milk with raisins, chia seeds and chopped hazelnuts	Oven-roasted chicken breast with roasted sweet potato, onion and peppers · tomato salad with olive oil · two clementines	Noodle soup with enriched homemade stock · scrambled eggs with mushrooms and prawns · wholemeal bread · plain yoghurt
Saturday	Wholemeal toast with grated tomato, extra virgin olive oil and boiled egg · coffee with milk	Rice stir-fried with mixed vegetables, cubes of marinated firm tofu or chicken and cashews · bowl of grapes	Aubergine stuffed with lean minced meat, tomato sauce and gratinated cheese · small lamb’s lettuce salad · a plum
Sunday	Homemade shake of whole milk, banana, fine oat flakes and a spoonful of almond spread · toast with oil	White beans stewed with pumpkin, leek and diced potato · grilled sea bream with garlic and parsley · a slice of pineapple	Leek and potato soup with oven-baked wholemeal croutons · courgette and onion omelette · plain Greek yoghurt

Each dish combines complex carbohydrates, protein and oil or another fatty food to concentrate energy in a small volume. The table does not set grams or calories, because what you need depends on your age, sex, height and activity.

Warning. Do not apply this menu to a person with a suspected eating disorder, pregnancy, under 18s, diabetes treated with insulin, coeliac disease or kidney disease without supervision.

What to have mid-morning and mid-afternoon?

Between the three meals there is room for two more snacks, small but energy-rich. You can choose them if they fit your appetite and needs.

• Toast with peanut spread and banana. A slice of wholemeal bread, a generous spoonful of 100 % peanut spread and half a banana.
• Greek yoghurt with almonds and raisins. A plain Greek yoghurt with a handful of chopped almonds and a spoonful of raisins.
• Fruit with nuts. A piece of ripe fruit and a handful of walnuts. If you train in the afternoon, have it after the session.

The week’s shopping list

Quantities are for one person for these seven days, and are indicative. Adjust them to your appetite and cross off what you already have at home. If you choose a soya drink, bear in mind that soya is an allergen.

Vegetables

• 1.5 kg potatoes
• 500 g sweet potatoes
• 600 g pumpkin
• 3 medium courgettes
• 1 kg carrots
• 2 leeks
• 1 large aubergine
• 1 net of onions and 1 of garlic
• 2 red peppers and 2 green
• 1 kg tomatoes, for salad and for spreading
• 300 g green beans, fresh or frozen
• 1 bag of 300 g fresh spinach
• 1 bag of lamb’s lettuce or mixed lettuce
• 250 g mushrooms
• 1 bunch of parsley

Fresh and dried fruit

• 6 ripe bananas
• 2 avocados
• 4 apples
• 1 kg oranges and clementines
• 3 pears
• 3 kiwis
• 1 tray of 250 g strawberries or berries
• 300 g grapes
• 2 plums
• 1 small pineapple or 1 container of natural chopped pineapple
• 1 bag of 200 g raisins or pitted dates

Pulses, cereals and bread

• 500 g wholegrain oat flakes
• 250 g unsweetened corn flakes
• 500 g brown or white rice
• 500 g wholemeal pasta (shapes, macaroni or spaghetti)
• 250 g noodles for soup
• 1 tin of cooked chickpeas (400 g drained)
• 1 pack of 500 g dry brown lentils, or 1 tin of cooked
• 1 tin of cooked white beans (400 g drained)
• 2 loaves or baguettes of wholemeal bread from the bakery, which can be sliced and frozen

Fish, meat, eggs and plant alternatives

• 1 dozen free-range eggs
• 400 g chicken breast or thighs
• 300 g turkey fillets
• 250 g lean minced meat (beef or a mix)
• The eggs for the Saturday toast are already included in the dozen.
• 2 fresh or frozen hake loins (300 g)
• 1 cleaned sea bream in fillets (200 g)
• 200 g salmon in fillets or loins
• 150 g peeled prawns, fresh or frozen
• 1 tin of tuna and 1 of mackerel, in spring water or olive oil
• 1 block of 250 g firm tofu (optional)

Dairy and derivatives

• 3 to 4 litres of whole milk, or plant drink with at least 3 % protein (soya preferred, if you are not allergic to soya)
• 6 plain Greek yoghurts without added sugar
• 4 plain whole yoghurts
• 1 bottle of 500 ml natural kefir (optional)
• 1 tub of 250 g fresh cheese such as Burgos
• 150 g semi-cured cheese or parmesan in a wedge

Store cupboard, oil and nuts

• 1 bottle of extra virgin olive oil, to use generously raw and in cooking
• 1 bag of 200 g shelled walnuts
• 1 bag of 200 g raw or unsalted roasted almonds
• 150 g hazelnuts and 150 g cashews
• 1 small pack of pumpkin seeds and another of chia seeds
• 1 jar of 350 g 100 % peanut or almond spread, without added sugar or palm oil
• 2 cartons of natural chopped tomatoes or homemade sauce
• Cinnamon, paprika and bay leaves

How to enrich dishes without increasing their volume?

Dishes of the same size, with more energy inside.

If you feel full quickly, enriching the dishes you usually eat can help you take in more energy without so much volume. ESPEN considers this strategy for older people with malnutrition or at risk; it does not show that it is the first step for every adult [6].

• Add oil or another fatty food at the end. A tablespoon of raw extra virgin olive oil increases the energy of the dish without adding much volume.
• Enrich purées and creams. Replace part of the cooking water with whole milk, or add potato, chopped boiled egg, blended pulses or grated cheese.
• Have nuts as a spread. If chewing whole nuts fills you up or tires you, 100 % peanut, hazelnut or almond cream dissolves into purées and shakes or can be spread on bread.
• Choose whole dairy. Plain Greek yoghurt has more energy and protein than a low-fat yoghurt, and it is creamier.

How much energy and protein do you need to gain muscle?

If you do strength training and want to gain muscle, your total energy needs to be adjusted to your situation. A narrative review tentatively proposes a conservative surplus to favour muscle gain and limit fat gain, but acknowledges that there is no initial figure validated for everyone [1].

An analysis of 49 trials studied protein supplementation in healthy adults doing strength training. Above about 1.6 g per kilo of body weight per day it found no further gain in fat-free mass [7].

This result does not set the protein that someone following this menu needs. Your team can assess weight, training, health and usual meals before agreeing an amount.

What role does exercise play?

If you eat in surplus without training, much of what you gain will be fat. Strength training is the stimulus that makes the body use the extra protein and energy to build muscle. Each session should work the major muscle groups.

If you do endurance exercise, review with your team how to cover that activity. For loss of strength or muscle with age, see the guide on sarcopenia.

What mistakes do we see in the clinic?

Skipping meals and making up for it with a huge plate. After many hours without eating, a large portion does not go down and causes nausea or heaviness. Four or five eating occasions a day add up to more with less effort.

Filling up on drinks or salad before the main dish. A lot of water, a clear broth or a large raw salad fills you quickly and leaves little room for what nourishes. Drink mainly between meals.

Gaining weight on pastries, fried food and ultra-processed products. A plan to gain weight also needs variety of foods. Avoid making these products the base of every meal.

Buying shakes to gain weight on your own. This menu does not need them. In older people with malnutrition or at risk and with chronic illness, ESPEN proposes oral supplements when advice and enrichment are not enough [6]. In your case, decide with the healthcare team whether you need additional support.

Treating every change on the scales as a result. Agree with the team how to follow weight changes and any difficulties eating.

Example within 2,500–3,000 kcal: days of 2,786–2,988 kcal

This second menu is only an example for an adult without a condition that requires a special diet, whose energy need has been estimated individually and for whom weight gain has been agreed.

The figure does not describe what any person needs. The energy required changes with age, body size and activity [8]. The values for each food come from the Spanish Food Composition Database (BEDCA), per 100 g in the state indicated, and the energy is converted from kJ to kcal [9].

The daily figure adds up the three estimates for each meal, rounded to the nearest kilocalorie.

Quantities are purchase weights, raw or dry. Cereal, pasta, flour, pulses and vegetables are weighed before cooking. Fruit is without skin or stone, meat and fish are cleaned (chicken with skin) and eggs are without shell. The energy is an estimate, not a measurement of the dish or a prescription. Water as the drink.

If the volume of a meal feels excessive, split those same foods into two eating occasions without adding them to the total ration.

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Approximate total
Monday	Oat porridge with banana and walnuts dry oat flour 100 g, whole cow’s milk 350 g, raw peeled banana 150 g, raw shelled walnuts 30 g ≈ 891 kcal	Lentils with brown rice and carrots dried uncooked lentils 90 g, dry brown rice 80 g, raw trimmed carrots 200 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw orange without peel or seeds 200 g ≈ 951 kcal	Roast chicken with potatoes and courgettes raw boneless chicken breast with skin 200 g, raw peeled potatoes 450 g, raw trimmed courgettes 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 30 g, raw apple without core 200 g ≈ 944 kcal	≈ 2786 kcal
Tuesday	Toast with eggs and tomatoes wholemeal bread 150 g, raw whole egg without shell 120 g, raw trimmed tomatoes 150 g, extra virgin olive oil 15 g, whole cow’s milk 250 g, raw orange without peel or seeds 200 g ≈ 953 kcal	Turkey with wholewheat pasta and aubergine raw boneless turkey meat 180 g, dry wholewheat pasta 110 g, raw trimmed aubergine 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw pear without core 200 g ≈ 1024 kcal	Chickpeas with spinach and polenta dried uncooked chickpeas 90 g, raw frozen chopped spinach 200 g, dry maize flour 80 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw apple without core 200 g ≈ 929 kcal	≈ 2906 kcal
Wednesday	Oat porridge with yoghurt, kiwi and almonds dry oat flour 90 g, whole cow’s milk 150 g, plain full-fat Greek yoghurt 200 g, raw peeled kiwi fruit 150 g, raw shelled almonds 25 g ≈ 915 kcal	Beef with brown rice and green beans raw beef fillet without visible fat 200 g, dry brown rice 110 g, raw trimmed green beans 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw peeled banana 150 g ≈ 1064 kcal	Salmon with potatoes and carrots raw boneless salmon 180 g, raw peeled potatoes 400 g, raw trimmed carrots 200 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw pear without core 200 g ≈ 995 kcal	≈ 2974 kcal
Thursday	Toast with fresh cheese and walnuts wholemeal bread 130 g, full-fat Burgos fresh cheese 120 g, raw shelled walnuts 25 g, whole cow’s milk 200 g, raw peeled banana 150 g ≈ 972 kcal	Wholewheat pasta with chickpeas and courgettes dry wholewheat pasta 100 g, dried uncooked chickpeas 80 g, raw trimmed courgettes 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw orange without peel or seeds 200 g ≈ 953 kcal	Semolina soup with hake and spinach dry wheat semolina 120 g, raw boneless fresh hake 220 g, raw frozen chopped spinach 200 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, wholemeal bread 50 g, raw apple without core 200 g ≈ 1050 kcal	≈ 2975 kcal
Friday	Corn pancakes with banana and almonds dry maize flour 100 g, raw whole egg without shell 60 g, whole cow’s milk 300 g, raw shelled almonds 30 g, raw peeled banana 150 g, extra virgin olive oil 5 g ≈ 966 kcal	Lentils with potatoes and aubergine dried uncooked lentils 100 g, raw peeled potatoes 400 g, raw trimmed aubergine 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 30 g, raw orange without peel or seeds 200 g ≈ 991 kcal	Sardines with polenta and green beans raw sardines without heads or bones 180 g, dry maize flour 120 g, raw trimmed green beans 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw pear without core 200 g ≈ 1025 kcal	≈ 2982 kcal
Saturday	Oat porridge with pear and hazelnuts dry oat flour 100 g, whole cow’s milk 350 g, raw pear without core 200 g, raw shelled hazelnuts 35 g ≈ 898 kcal	Brown rice with chicken and spinach dry brown rice 120 g, raw boneless chicken breast with skin 200 g, raw frozen chopped spinach 200 g, extra virgin olive oil 30 g, raw apple without core 200 g ≈ 1080 kcal	Turkey with lentils and courgettes raw boneless turkey meat 180 g, dried uncooked lentils 100 g, raw trimmed courgettes 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw peeled banana 150 g ≈ 989 kcal	≈ 2967 kcal
Sunday	Corn pancakes with kiwi and hazelnuts dry maize flour 100 g, raw whole egg without shell 60 g, whole cow’s milk 300 g, raw shelled hazelnuts 35 g, raw peeled kiwi fruit 200 g, extra virgin olive oil 5 g ≈ 989 kcal	Wholewheat pasta with beef and aubergine dry wholewheat pasta 120 g, raw beef fillet without visible fat 200 g, raw trimmed aubergine 250 g, extra virgin olive oil 30 g, raw orange without peel or seeds 200 g ≈ 1025 kcal	Carrot omelette with polenta raw whole egg without shell 150 g, dry maize flour 110 g, raw trimmed carrots 200 g, extra virgin olive oil 25 g, raw apple without core 200 g ≈ 974 kcal	≈ 2988 kcal

Shopping list for the 2,500–3,000 kcal example

This list corresponds only to the quantified example of 2,500–3,000 kcal and not to the general weekly menu.

Fruit

• raw peeled banana 750 g
• raw orange without peel or seeds 1000 g
• raw apple without core 1000 g
• raw pear without core 800 g
• raw peeled kiwi fruit 350 g

Vegetables and tubers

• raw trimmed carrots 600 g
• raw peeled potatoes 1250 g
• raw trimmed courgettes 750 g
• raw trimmed tomatoes 150 g
• raw trimmed aubergine 750 g
• raw frozen chopped spinach 600 g
• raw trimmed green beans 500 g

Cereals, flours and bread

• dry oat flour 290 g
• dry brown rice 310 g
• dry wholewheat pasta 330 g
• dry maize flour 510 g
• dry wheat semolina 120 g
• wholemeal bread 330 g

Dried pulses

• dried uncooked lentils 290 g
• dried uncooked chickpeas 170 g

Fish, meat and eggs

• raw boneless chicken breast with skin 400 g
• raw boneless turkey meat 360 g
• raw beef fillet without visible fat 400 g
• raw boneless salmon 180 g
• raw boneless fresh hake 220 g
• raw sardines without heads or bones 180 g
• raw whole egg without shell 390 g

Dairy

• whole cow’s milk 1900 g
• plain full-fat Greek yoghurt 200 g
• full-fat Burgos fresh cheese 120 g

Oil and nuts

• extra virgin olive oil 395 g
• raw shelled walnuts 55 g
• raw shelled almonds 55 g
• raw shelled hazelnuts 70 g

These quantities add up exactly to the grams in the table, raw or dry. When buying foods with shell, bone or fish bones, or fresh produce that loses water, you will need some allowance for waste. Tick off what you already have at home.

If you do not know whether this range suits you, start by working out your needs with a professional. If you lose weight without meaning to, ask for a medical assessment before trying to make up for it with more food. The general menu above offers another option without setting a calorie figure.

Warning. Do not apply this menu to a person with a suspected eating disorder, pregnancy, under 18s, diabetes treated with insulin, coeliac disease or kidney disease without supervision.